Martina Navratilova criticizes Qatar for poor behavior with journalists ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Former tennis player Martina Navratilova, who is known for speaking up on issues on which most people prefer to remain silent, recently chastised Qatar for their poor treatment of journalists ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 edition, in Qatar, is slated to begin on November 20. Prior to the tournament's commencement, a significant uproar was caused when Qatar officials cut off a Danish reporter's live TV broadcast.
In a viral video, a security guard is seen approaching a journalist named Rasmus Tantholdt and allegedly threatening to damage the camera set. In view of this, Navratilova resorted to Twitter to express her anger, writing:
"This is just the beginning."
This is just the beginning twitter.com/BBCWorld/statu…
The 18-time Grand Slam champion also addressed an incident with journalist Grant Wahl, who claimed that a security guard approached him and requested that he delete a picture he took of the World Cup slogan on the media center's wall.
She criticized the host country, claiming that this is what happens when a country like Qatar is given the honor of hosting a big event like the FIFA World Cup.
"What happens when countries that should never get anywhere near a massive sporting event like the World Cup, get awarded with hosting," Martina Navratilova wrote.
What happens when countries that should never get anywhere near a massive sporting event like the World Cup, get awarded with hosting twitter.com/GrantWahl/stat…
"I always felt that responsibility as a role model, didn't do anything I was embarrassed about on the court" - Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova stated in an interview with Julie Bindel that she has always viewed her 'role model' status as a responsibility to youngsters, even when she came out as a lesbian.
"I always felt that responsibility as a role model. I always thought about the kids first," Navratilova said, adding, "When I came out, it was also a reflection on the LGBT community. Certainly for women and lesbians more than anybody else. So I always felt that responsibility, but I always felt it, to begin with, to the kids."
The 66-year-old further stated that she never did anything embarrassing or inappropriate on the court throughout her playing days, since she took her duties as a "role model" to youngsters very seriously.
"I didn't throw my racquet on the court, I didn't do anything I was embarrassed about on the court, because of athletes supposed to be role models, and I took that role seriously...I didn't really do anything that was really really bad," Navratilova added.